Here’s why payment of school feeding caterers delay

Payment of school feeding caterers on time has been one of the major challenges facing both the caterers and the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection.

Over the years, caterers would have to demonstrate before they receive their locked-up cash after several stakeholder meetings with the government.

Speaking on this topic with Citi News, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Lariba Zuweira Abudu, has attributed the delay in payment to the procedures that need to be followed before the release of the cash.

She said, "The school feeding payment has a procedure and sometimes it is the procedure that delays payment. When you take the stakeholders, we have regional, district, communities, schools; we have headteachers involved, we have assemblies involved and it has to go through all these processes."

Lariba Zuweira Abudu, however, noted that a software has been developed to curb this problem.

She said caterers would be enrolled on the software created to facilitate their payment process.

"The software is ready...Everybody is now going to be on that system," the minister stated.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has said all outstanding debts owed to school feeding caterers for the second and third terms of the 2022 academic year and first term of 2023 have been paid.

The minister disclosed this while delivering the 2023 mid-year budget review statement in parliament on Monday, July 31, 2023.

Reacting to the finance minister's claim, the President of the National Association of School Feeding Caterers Association, Charlotte Asante said the consistent release of the funds is the first to be recorded in the history of school feeding.

“What the minister said about our outstanding being paid, what I know is that we had a few meetings and the outcome was that they will be paying 3rd term 2022 and 1st term 2023. That one has been done, but the 2023 2nd term is yet to be paid. I’m telling you that maybe this week, payments will be made. When we receive the money this week, we will let the media know. Payments have been consistent for the first time in the history of School Feeding, and we are hoping it continues,” she stated.

Meanwhile, the feeding grants cost per meal has been increased by 20 pesewas.

Initially, the meal per child was GH¢1 but the government has increased it to GH¢1.20pesewas.

SA/NOQ

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